Beauty and the Feast

The book of Esther opens on a king who is the most powerful ruler of his day. We jump back into the middle of chapter 1 and pick up the narrative that we already discussed at length last time. Today, we will outline the passage and stop and make some practical application along the way.

I. A Lewd (10-12)

• After parading everything he owned, it seems only logical that King Xerxes would publically display his .  
• The king’s heart was “merry,” which means he was very near being stoned .
• Principle #1: No good decisions are made while .
• Vashti found herself in a real dilemma: she had to refuse herself and lose her integrity or she had to refuse her husband and Persian law.
• Principle #2: There will be times when we have to sacrifice our for the sake of our .
• Will you be able to say no or do what is when it costs you everything?

II. A Livid (13-22)

• Not one person in the king’s circle of advisers tried to him.
• Principle #3: What really matters is controlling your own and your own . 
• Mark 8:36; Proverbs 25:28; Proverbs 16:32
• Alcohol and anger – two powerful forces that have brought more to our homes and our society than even the statistics reveal.
• Principle #4: Respect is earned, not demanded.
• If Christian husbands were more like and less like Ahasuerus, perhaps we would find our wives more ready to our leadership.
• God shows you and me more grace than Ahasuerus showed Vashti.  And instead of banishing people, Jesus took the punishment of our sins and invites us to come have a seat at his banquet table of salvation.